Peter Dutton going full Oprah is very Nathan For You. Allow me to unpack this memefest for anyone whose head just went boing! Having worked very hard to get himself into a competitive place for the next federal election, Dutts this week decided that what everyone really wanted from him was a nuclear power plant at the end of their street.
For bona fides let me state I've taught energy policy at tertiary level. And lately I've been increasingly frustrated by the number of otherwise intelligent people who seem to be falling for Mr Potatohead's nuclear brainfart.
Even when I inform them that: SMRs for grid applications don't actually exist yet; generation III nuclear is 2-4x more expensive than firmed renewables to build (and has a little problem with melting down occasionally); we have no industry to build it; no long-term storage to put the extremely dangerous waste in; and it has no legal or social license - these people continue to tell me it's THE ANSWER. The answer to their incomprehensible cognitive dissonace, I guess. But in the age of Everyone's-an-Expert (except they aren't, and refuse to listen to the actual experts) I shouldn't be surprised.
Politically this latest obsession with nuclear also has me scratching my head. It must have been imported from the US right, probably because the Great Dysfunctionality of America would be the ones building and maintaining it for us, just like they're doing with the submarines. Almost all of these bullshit policy ideas (and actual policies we've stupidly adopted, like the subs) are about making money for US companies. And Australia is so small and vulnerable - so reliant on our defence pact with the US for security - that we keep buying their bullshit to keep our Big Brother happy. It's the only way this nonsense makes any sense.
PS If you want a perfect example of why nuclear is a stupid idea, look up the Hinkley project in the UK, a country with an existing nuclear industry and social license (of a sort). The delays and cost over runs are eye-watering. Now imagine doing that in a country with no established nuclear power industry...
We should promote solar power as "nuclear fusion". It's just that the fusion reaction doesn't need funding or support, and is safely 148Mkm from anyone's back yard.
"But we have two things in abundance here – sunlight and space..."
And one thing we don't have in abundance is lots of water, a key requirement for 'nucular' power plants. As to why he's doing it... perhaps it's got something to do with his cross-country flight (at his personal cost apparently) to kneel down to Gina the Hutt.
Can some journalist please ask Dutton for a list of working SMRs? From Wikipedia: "As of 2023, only China and Russia have successfully built operational SMRs. The US Department of Energy had estimated the first SMR in the United States would be completed by NuScale Power around 2030, but this deal has since fallen through after the customers backed out due to rising costs." So two, maybe three. But wait, let's go for the big ones and make AUKUS look like pocket change.
I'd be surprised if Dutt expected or wanted nuclear energy....but announcing it as a policy ticks the boxes of 1. pretending to show bold policy intitiative; 2. helping strangle clean energy (who needs storage when unlimited electricity "will" become available; and, most importantly, 3 keeping fossil fuel (coal, gas, biomass) polluting generation "until" nuclear is ready to take the load. By the time the white elephants fail to land he'll have long since retired
Why is he doing it? My take is the Boobtuber, who will probably be dumped as opposition leader before the next election, is using his taxpayer-funded position to signal the fossil fuel industry (heavy promoters of nuclear as part of their diversionary tactics in the war on renewables) that, “why yes I am ready to join one of your boards shortly after I announce my retirement from politics, thanks. Let the bidding commence.”
I live in the electorate of the Shadow Minister for Climate Change and Energy, don't laugh they really do have one, and said Ted O'Brien has very generously volunteered his electorate (the Sunshine Coast) as a future home of one of Spud's cancer mills. Ted might find come the next election that the Sunny Coast is not quite the Liberal safe seat that he thinks it is, I live in hope anyway. He's such a gormless twat. With luck his elevation in profile since moving to the front bench means that more people here are actually paying attention to who they are voting for and give him the elbow. Mind you, Dutton has made almost everybody a front bencher in the belief that at least one of them might actually display some talent.
I'm in one of the Teal seats, & the price of land is probably enough to deter the Gestapotato from any nuclear plans here. Also, it's the kind of area where wealthy people complain about rich people building ugly houses, so the NIMBY crowd certainly wouldn't stand for it
Leaving aside why Dutton is doing this, as trying to understand his thinking makes my head hurt....
I'd have no problem with removing the ban on nuclear, and letting private industry have a crack at it, except that I have no faith in the ability of our governments (either left or right) to regulate it properly and to ensure that us taxpayers don't get left with the bill when something goes wrong, or when things get shut down. It's not the technology or the cost that scares me about nuclear, it's the corporate shitfuckery that inevitably results in the govt having to sort the mess out that worries me.
For a good example of this, look at the Northern Endeavour, a floating oil processing plant in the Timor sea that Woodside conveniently sold to another company just as the field was reaching its end of life. Surprisingly, the company that bought it had no experience, and shortly after went broke, leaving all the mess behind.
All levels of goodies in this essay, JB - giveaways by Oprah costing the recipient - that's a side of it I had never heard. I'm sure Tommy Hanlon's giveaways here in an earlier Australian TV mid-day tearjerker show were never slugged with taxes! It can be done! And HE never threatened nuclear power plants at the end of the street, either!
For bona fides let me state I've taught energy policy at tertiary level. And lately I've been increasingly frustrated by the number of otherwise intelligent people who seem to be falling for Mr Potatohead's nuclear brainfart.
Even when I inform them that: SMRs for grid applications don't actually exist yet; generation III nuclear is 2-4x more expensive than firmed renewables to build (and has a little problem with melting down occasionally); we have no industry to build it; no long-term storage to put the extremely dangerous waste in; and it has no legal or social license - these people continue to tell me it's THE ANSWER. The answer to their incomprehensible cognitive dissonace, I guess. But in the age of Everyone's-an-Expert (except they aren't, and refuse to listen to the actual experts) I shouldn't be surprised.
Politically this latest obsession with nuclear also has me scratching my head. It must have been imported from the US right, probably because the Great Dysfunctionality of America would be the ones building and maintaining it for us, just like they're doing with the submarines. Almost all of these bullshit policy ideas (and actual policies we've stupidly adopted, like the subs) are about making money for US companies. And Australia is so small and vulnerable - so reliant on our defence pact with the US for security - that we keep buying their bullshit to keep our Big Brother happy. It's the only way this nonsense makes any sense.
PS If you want a perfect example of why nuclear is a stupid idea, look up the Hinkley project in the UK, a country with an existing nuclear industry and social license (of a sort). The delays and cost over runs are eye-watering. Now imagine doing that in a country with no established nuclear power industry...
We should promote solar power as "nuclear fusion". It's just that the fusion reaction doesn't need funding or support, and is safely 148Mkm from anyone's back yard.
"But we have two things in abundance here – sunlight and space..."
And one thing we don't have in abundance is lots of water, a key requirement for 'nucular' power plants. As to why he's doing it... perhaps it's got something to do with his cross-country flight (at his personal cost apparently) to kneel down to Gina the Hutt.
Can some journalist please ask Dutton for a list of working SMRs? From Wikipedia: "As of 2023, only China and Russia have successfully built operational SMRs. The US Department of Energy had estimated the first SMR in the United States would be completed by NuScale Power around 2030, but this deal has since fallen through after the customers backed out due to rising costs." So two, maybe three. But wait, let's go for the big ones and make AUKUS look like pocket change.
Only in America can you expect to be taxed on items given away ona TV show but not on earnings over a million dollars. Fucking stupid.
I'd be surprised if Dutt expected or wanted nuclear energy....but announcing it as a policy ticks the boxes of 1. pretending to show bold policy intitiative; 2. helping strangle clean energy (who needs storage when unlimited electricity "will" become available; and, most importantly, 3 keeping fossil fuel (coal, gas, biomass) polluting generation "until" nuclear is ready to take the load. By the time the white elephants fail to land he'll have long since retired
Why is he doing it? My take is the Boobtuber, who will probably be dumped as opposition leader before the next election, is using his taxpayer-funded position to signal the fossil fuel industry (heavy promoters of nuclear as part of their diversionary tactics in the war on renewables) that, “why yes I am ready to join one of your boards shortly after I announce my retirement from politics, thanks. Let the bidding commence.”
Life after politics, folks.
I live in the electorate of the Shadow Minister for Climate Change and Energy, don't laugh they really do have one, and said Ted O'Brien has very generously volunteered his electorate (the Sunshine Coast) as a future home of one of Spud's cancer mills. Ted might find come the next election that the Sunny Coast is not quite the Liberal safe seat that he thinks it is, I live in hope anyway. He's such a gormless twat. With luck his elevation in profile since moving to the front bench means that more people here are actually paying attention to who they are voting for and give him the elbow. Mind you, Dutton has made almost everybody a front bencher in the belief that at least one of them might actually display some talent.
Nah, Peter Dutton doesn't really believe in anything. No principles, just rank opportunism.
So this must have totally shit Dutts off then... https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2023/nov/09/small-modular-nuclear-reactor-that-was-hailed-by-coalition-as-future-cancelled-due-to-rising-costs
And yeah...The whole thing is totally insane...Have never been able to fathom why he's so red hot for nuclear (see what I did there? :-) ).
Looked at the Nathan clip. Thanks John. But how do so many people know what shit tastes like? Is coprophagy that big?
I'm in one of the Teal seats, & the price of land is probably enough to deter the Gestapotato from any nuclear plans here. Also, it's the kind of area where wealthy people complain about rich people building ugly houses, so the NIMBY crowd certainly wouldn't stand for it
Yep... shares in fossil fuel and fat coal baron buddies...want to divert discussion from renewables.
Leaving aside why Dutton is doing this, as trying to understand his thinking makes my head hurt....
I'd have no problem with removing the ban on nuclear, and letting private industry have a crack at it, except that I have no faith in the ability of our governments (either left or right) to regulate it properly and to ensure that us taxpayers don't get left with the bill when something goes wrong, or when things get shut down. It's not the technology or the cost that scares me about nuclear, it's the corporate shitfuckery that inevitably results in the govt having to sort the mess out that worries me.
For a good example of this, look at the Northern Endeavour, a floating oil processing plant in the Timor sea that Woodside conveniently sold to another company just as the field was reaching its end of life. Surprisingly, the company that bought it had no experience, and shortly after went broke, leaving all the mess behind.
https://www.abc.net.au/news/rural/2023-06-10/northern-endeavour-decommissioning-underway-oil-gas-off-shore/102391416
https://www.industry.gov.au/mining-oil-and-gas/oil-and-gas/offshore-oil-and-gas/decommissioning-northern-endeavour
Can only imagine the world with the orange roughy in the White House and herr dutts in the lodge. Madness.
All levels of goodies in this essay, JB - giveaways by Oprah costing the recipient - that's a side of it I had never heard. I'm sure Tommy Hanlon's giveaways here in an earlier Australian TV mid-day tearjerker show were never slugged with taxes! It can be done! And HE never threatened nuclear power plants at the end of the street, either!